What is the human impact of inefficiencies in how your tax dollars are spent?

In 2010 the U.S. spent $2 billion total on international food aid, but $491 million of those taxpayer dollars were tied up in red-tape in the U.S. farm bill, says new research from Oxfam America and American Jewish World Service (AJWS). The U.S. farm bill requires that aid dollars be spent on food produced in the U.S., which results in significant shipping costs and takes an average of 13 weeks to actually get food to the hungry.

If current regulations were lifted and food were purchased from nearby developing countries, the groups argue, those dollars could provide an additional 17 million people with food, at no additional cost to U.S. taxpayers. Instituting local and regional procurement programs (LRPs) could also contribute to improved economic well being of local farmers.

Check out other infographics exploring how the farm bill impact’s our lives here.